Search the Community

3rd of July 2017 / 21h30 UTC+01:00 / Stargazing Conditions: 80% After much reading and hyping myself so much, I was pretty stunned by the early notification on my phone that yesterday night could potentially be a good evening with good seeing. So I went home after work (with my phone still showing 80% of potential seeing), sat on my desk and prepared myself. I chose to watch the Moon, since I never really observed it, Jupiter, Saturn and search for the Sombrero Galaxy! Last week I searched for a few good atlases and stumbled unto the Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas. A promising atlas which should arrive this week, but still would let me be without a field atlas, since it is a desk edition... After cramming in the forums I mainly found three downloadable recommendations: 1) The Deep-Sky Atlas 2) Deep-Sky Hunter Atlas 3) TriAtlas I downloaded all of them and browsed through them, noticing that only the Deep-Sky Hunter Atlas exists in a field edition. I printed the normal Version on A3 paper to look if it fits the need and, hell yeah, I really like it so far!! Only downside (for me) at the moment, is that the constellations are in black lines in contrary to the Deep-Sky Atlas. So I think I'll print both of them, laminate them and take them with me on my sessions. (I will have to inverse the colors on the Deep-Sky Atlas though) To round everything up, I figured that I'll need a software too, to plan my sessions a little better and just give me the right impressions on where I will have to search in the sky. A while back I downloaded Stellarum, which seemed to be a great free app, but it simply kept crashing on my laptop... Searching for alternatives I found SkySafari 5 and Starry Night 7. Given the prices of Starry Night 7 and the fact that it isn't to be found on the AppStore, I went ahead and downloaded SkySafari 5 Pro. It is a beautifully simple app which does the job just fine and gives me the needed input to satisfy my thirst for knowledge (at least for now). At this point, I was wondering if someone knows if Starry Night 7 was up-gradable? So let's say I buy the Enthusiast Edition and wanted to up-grade to the Pro or even Pro-Plus version one day. Do I have to buy the App entirely new or does it give the opportunity to up-grade for a few bucks to the next edition? Enough rambling an off to my stargazing site! I arrived well early before sunset, which gave me the opportunity to once check again, if my finderscope was well aligned with the 'scope. It also gave me the chance to let my 'scope acclimatize the same way as last time and so I sat back and waited a little until the moon gained a little on contrast as the sun was setting. The Moon The Moon, being a waxing gibbous, shone bright in the slightly dark blue night sky with literally NO clouds in the sky. I put my 15mm BTS eyepiece in and looked at the beautiful moonscape. It is defiantly the first time I've seen the Moon so up-close and I was in awe by it. I never imagined that it could be so nice to look at all these craters and I began to wonder where they all came from. It is simply a battlefield of craters and each and everyone has its own story to tell... after a good 30 minutes of switching between the 8mm and 15mm eyepiece and lots of "ohs" and "wows", I figured I could try and photograph the Moon with my phone through the eyepiece... what seemed to be a really stupid idea at first turned out to be a really great shot (I think?)! (very little photoshop-magic to increase contrast and sharpness) Jupiter Next on that nights list was Jupiter. I remembered the image last time I looked at it and I was thrilled to already clearly identify Europa from Io through the finderscope. I managed to see Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io. I think that Jupiter itself was a little less contrasty as last time BUT I think I could make out the Red Spot which really made me happy! I was so thrilled by the view I even can't write down how I felt... I switched from 15mm to the 8mm eyepiece and focused in... I kept focusing and focusing and focusing but nothing happened... As I looked up in the sky I was shocked... the beautiful cloudless sky had turned into a thick carpet of Cumulus Cumulonimbus... I immediately looked at the horizon on my right to see if there was a slight possibility of clear sky but the enemy had invaded the sky... To make matters even worse at that moment, I met my locations' neighbor, which is no other company then Arcelor Mittal... The sky with the clouds lit up in a bright orange from the molten metal... At that moment I knew it was over for that night... Thanks for reading Abe

21 of June 2017 / 22h30 UTC+01:00 / Stargazing Conditions: 88% So, I crammed all of my new acquired stuff together and went to the darkest place I could find near my town. It's a mere 5 minute drive from my home. As I set everything up, I tried to wait for 20-30 minutes to give the 'scope a chance to acclimatize but I really couldn't! Jupiter I looked west south west to find Jupiter, pointed my finderscope at it and I was amazed by how clear the image from the 'scope was!! I had a 5 minute stare through my 25mm BST eyepiece where I could distinctly see the two belts, the north and south equatorial belt. As clearly as the belts were also three of its moons were, namely Callisto, Europa and Io, although Europa was quite close to Jupiter. The color was also great and the view, simply mesmerizing! I then switched to the 15mm BST eyepiece. First I was a little, let's say disappointed, but not that strong, by the magnification, and immediatly switched to the 8mm BST. To my surprise I wasn't convinced by the view either... So I decided to get back to the 25mm and calm down and enjoy the view as I clearly was getting hasty. As I started over, I remembered some words from a friend of mine who told me that watching the stars often comes down to 50% of actually seeing the stars and 50% imagination and concentration. So I tried the 15mm a second time and... I was hooked. I could now clearly see eight different colors and belts! I'm not quite sure what it was I saw, except the north and south equatorial belt, but I will have a look at some Jupiter maps and educate myself about the planet's surface. This will help in better understanding and watching next time, the case given that the seeing is as clear as it was that night. With the 15mm eyepiece Europa was now very distinct from Jupiter. I couldn't manage to get more detail out of the 8mm eyepiece, everything just got a tad bigger and a little fainter if my impressions were right. After good half an hour of watching the delightful planet and its moons I sat down and searched for Saturn, which was south not very high above the horizon. Saturn I switched back to the 25mm eyepiece, pointed my viewfinder at Saturn and peaked through the eyepiece. What a marvel! I clearly could see some colors on the surface and easily distinct the ring from the planet itself. As I switched over to the 15mm eyepiece, the separations on the planet's surface became a tad clearer and the ring/planet separation obviously bigger. I encountered the same problem as before of not knowing what I was looking at, which bothered me a little. I have to do a little homework here and get myself started with some fancy vocabulary. Milky Way All in all it was a marvelous first light experience and I clearly have to learn the stuff I'm looking at, but I think that's just me and my endless thirst for knowing things. I randomly gazed through the skies at the end, beeing absolutely overwhelmed by everything I saw. Furthermore, I simply was flabbergasted when I ran across the milky way in the north east... There were so many stars I couldn't see with my bare eye, but only with the 'scope (which made aiming with the finderscope a nightmare... How do you guys do that really?!). I'm glad I acquired the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P with the eyepieces. It is one of the best things I got myself and I think I will have a lot of fun with it and furthermore learn so many new things. Thanks for reading, Abe

Hello there, I thought to myself that it would be great to write everything down I'm experiencing. From the very beginning, to the very end... So I chose to create this blog and use it as my small journal for personal observations, stargazing sessions, thoughts, reflections and what I recently learned. The greatest thing about this is, that it gives the opportunity to kick of many interesting discussions and I really can't wait to get started. Around the end of winter 2017 I started gazing around with a pair of binoculars I found at home. I initially got them when I was 9 years old and literally forgot about them... They were eating dust for 18 years now. After gazing around a little I bought myself some interesting books about astronomy and how to find stars and star maps. I don't know if it was my subconsciousness leading me into ticking off a point on my bucket list, but after so much hesitation if I should buy a 'scope or n... BWAAAAH I cracked and bought one. Period! Which leads us to yesterday night. After many days of reflection and information overkill, I finally went for a Skywatcher Skyliner 200P with BST 25mm, BST 15mm and BST 8mm eypieces. I ordered it last week on FLO and I couldn't be happier! It arrived divided into three packages last night and I immediately had to assemble it! Armed with my cordless screwdriver set to 11nm of tension, it took me about half an hour to assemble it and check if it was collimated right. Collimation was not perfect but it was absolutely okay for a first ride (I really should admit that I am a little anxious to collimate it and it is so near "perfect" that I'm okay with it at the moment). All in all the pictures don't give enough credit on the built quality of the 'scope. It is a simple to assemble and use first 'scope. I'm really glad that all of you pushed me in the right direction. After assembly and cleaning there were ONLY 5 damn hours left to wait until sunset... So I figured to simply develop a small evening plan in what I wanted to watch and gaze at. I simply chose to visit Saturn and Jupiter... Humble and modest for starters but hey, less is more and I really wanted to enjoy my evening out and not dish up myself with a list that a total novice couldn't handle and therefore risk to end up with a very disappointing first night. I'll write up my first experience in the next post and if you're interested, keep an open eye. I'll also use the opportunity to thank everyone involved into getting me started with my first 'scope! So let's go! Abe

The first two photos were taken using my BST StarGuider 3.2mm ED EP. The middle one was using a 25mm MA EP. The last two were taking with a 10mm MA EP. I was just holding the phone to the eyepiece, using the zoom and exposure compensation. I have no control of the ISO with this phone, even using the Open Camera app.

Hi.. I bought a PD Video Camera Dec. last year - to use on my SW 200p reflector - I would like some advise on how to achieve focus - from someone who has succeeded on the SW 200p. i.e. what do I need to place in the eyepiece to get the correct back-focus. I've tried loads of combinations to no avail.. even a sipmle pic. diagram - doing me head in. kind regards.

Hi all. I've been pondering over the idea of upgrading the standard focuser on my 200p to a dual speed one. This one: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-focusers/dual-speed-crayford-1252-inch-focuser-for-skywatcher-explorer.html This is primarily due to my frustration when observing the planets, especially when the seeing isn't great. I really need that extra tiny bit of precise focus, and the focuser I currently have just moves that notch too much when I try and fine tune. Do you guys think it's worth going for one of these? Also how easy is it to attach a new focuser? I don't want to go recking my scope by dropping screws onto the mirror Many thanks, Thomas

Good morning people of the SGL collective. I have to admit to an act of selfishness, which is more annoying given that SGLX and the partial eclipse is so close, and the now impending couple of weeks of forthcoming rain and cloud too. Though I won’t be attending SGLX, I live close to Mordiford, so by proxy, I fear that will have an impact. I have turned to the Dob Side. Two years ago, I bought my first scope, a 150p which amazed me. I was hooked. This Thursday I took delivery of my new 300p Flextube which now has pride of place in the living room as I don’t have anywhere else to store it. Matters of consequence are secondary in cases like this you must understand. The process has taken around 6 months to come through in total while my mind went from scope to scope, review to review and showroom visit to showroom visit. SGL being key at all stages, even down to supplier reviews. I’ve documented the build process and first impressions here. I will replicate it in part on the forum when I have more time over the weekend. However, I am now considering the bolt-ons and mods that I can make. I have already replaced the secondary collimation screws with thumb screws similar to Bobs Knobs. I also bought a new Telrad base and have removed the stock finderscope attachment in favour of the Telrad base. And finally, I am waiting on delivery of a dual-speed focuser too. Once the damage to the bank account has been repaired, next on my list will be a shroud. So, my question to the forum. What suggestions or thoughts do you have about improvements or additions to the scope other than those already mentioned? The build and construction itself I am happy with, though I have read about owners applying lithium grease to the bearings for smoother running, but at the moment I am happy with the way it runs. How it reacts in the field is of course a different thing though. Clear Skies (hopefully) everyone. Tony

Hello, I'm currently using the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P reflector telescope with the 10mm and 25mm EPs that came with it. I have been viewing for a while now and think its time I upgraded the eyepieces. My budget is around £500. I'd like to be able to get a range of EPs that will provide me with wide view and higher magnification viewing (a shorter length, longer length and a barlow (or perhaps a powermate but I dont know much about these other than they are seemingly better than barlows - perhaps a little over budget)). I enjoy both planetary and DSO viewing though if I had a preference it would be the latter. I wear eyeglasses having astigmatism in both eyes so eye relief is important. I mainly view from rural areas but will sometimes get it out in my rather light polluted back garden, so I am flexible with exit pupil size (the maximum being 31/35mm I reckon). There is quite a selection of vendors and I am hoping you folks can help me narrow down my choices with some first hand experience Cheers, Nathan

Hey guys it's me agaiinn. Recently I have been thinking about which telescope i should buy(its going to be my first telescope!!!!!) I have narrowed it down to 2 choices! The Skywatcher explorer 200p and the Skywatcher explorer 200pds I just can't seem to chose oneee. I want to do Astrophotography and i have heard that the Dual Speed focuser is going to help a lott. can someone please explain how? I m a total newbie and have just begun reading about Astrophotography. On the other hand i ve heard that some eyepiece s will need an extension tube to help them achieve focus (due to the secondary mirror placed closer to the primary) and i really want to see through the telescope my self.I dont know if the extra 140€ that i have to pay to get the focuser and the pds and eq5 (rather than just getting the 200p and eq5 combined ) is worth it .Does it really make that big of a difference?? I hipe somebody can help me Thanks -Kronos

Part 1. Having purchased a skywatcher 200p dobsonian telescope at the end of last year i feel it was time to start modifying it. This is a thead about all the modifications i have done so far and any that i plan to do. It might help others who have purchased the same scope ( i certainly needed help ) The first thing i noticed was i was struggling sometimes to locate objects in the 9x50 finderscope due to the stars sometimes being dim due to light pollution even using the both eyes method. So the first modifications was to install a rigel quickfinder. I mounted this ontop of the existing 9x50 finderscope. When all three are lined up (scope, finderscope and rigel) it makes putting objects in the scopes field of view alot easier!! (I especially like the illuminated circles ) Here is the first modification. I know its to the scope and not the mount but the rest of the thread will be about the mount.

My first night imaging Saturn. After going through all the AVI's this is my best result from the lot Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200p + 2x Celestron Barlow + QHY5L-IIC. 250 frames stacked in AS2! De-Noise in Registax. Wavelets & tweaks in Astra Image 4.0 24/05/16 UT 00:30:46 Lytham, Lancashire, NW UK.

Only my second time observing Saturn last night so thought I'd try imaging it as the sky was nice & clear for once! All taken with Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200p + 2x Celestron Barlow + QHY5L-II-C. 100 frames stacked in AS2! De-Noise in Registax. Wavelets in Astra Image 4.0 Cropped & tweaked in CS6. 23/05/16 UT 23:55:23 Lytham, Lancashire, NW UK. Here's my second attempt. ROI was smaller so it gave me a slightly higher magnification. 120 frames stacked in AS2! De-Noise in Registax. Wavelets in Astra Image 4.0 Upscaled & tweaked in CS6. 23/05/16 UT 23:56:14 Lytham, Lancashire, NW UK.

Hey folks 2-3 months ago I started my first thread in the beginners section and thanks to all of you guys, I finally decided to get myself a Skyliner 200P! (YAY) But here's the thing... I fear a little that I'll be fed up by the stock EPs and given the fact, that I already have to pay 60€ for the shipping fees AND that FLO gives a good discount on the BST EPs, I decided to jump the rope and immediately order myself other EPs Now my question is, which EPs should I buy? I want to get some beautiful clear filling views of some galaxies and messier objects, but I also want to zoom in the maximum I can get out of the 200P Are there any buzz killers amongst them or are they all equally good? I thought of getting 2-4 EPs and a 2x barlow. Thank you for any advice folks Abe

So guys after lots of advice reaserching and reading for the last 2 months i ve decided that i m going to either get a Skywatcher 200P(DOB) or a Skywatcher Heritage 130p(DOB) If i get the Dobsonian i ll be using it about once or twice a week (if i have clear skies that is) i ll be taking a taxi to a semi dark sky location(atleast darker than my light polluted neighborhood) about 1.5 km away so the transportation cost will be close to nothing.I ve heard lots of great reviews about this neat 8" telescope and am tempted to buy it !(its going to be for visual i am aware of the earth's rotation) On the other hand the Smaller more portable Version the Heritage 130p is a very neat telescope for its price(i ve heard) Its half the price of the 200p! I ll be taking this out almost every time i get out of the house(for walks or meetings with friends etc) I ve read part of the thread in cloudy nights and it seems like a great telescope! I ve even seen some very nice pictures with it (i know u need a mount). So what do you think guys? Should i go for the 200p or 130 p? I need the best value for money!

Hi, Does anyone have any experience converting a Skyliner 200p dobsonian (Non Go To) into a Go To telescope? Can this be done? Any help is appreciated. L

Hi all, I've been dabbling for about a year and am having a lot of fun. Nothing too serious and I don't have mega expectations but I'm starting to wonder if my images could be sharper and there's something I'm missing. I'm attaching a picture which is the best 10% of a 3 minute video with 500d 'bolted' straight to the 200p f5 scope. No filters...no barlows...just camera straight on. It's sharpened and saturated after the fact so in every way this is the sharpest I can get it. I've always had the same issue whether it's with a single shot, stacks of shots, or stacked video. Views through the eyepieces (circle-T 12.5/25) are mega sharp! I'm happy that collimation is very good and it was a remarkably clear night tonight. All in all I'd be pretty happy with this image (maybe over exposed a bit...) if the craters with shadows didn't make me want to rub my eyes. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!

Hey guys, Pretty new to the forums, so hello everyone! I have been using a Vixen Super Polaris EQ mount with a Vixen 80m refractor for many, many years. During this period I was not caring too much about polar alignment at all, but instead just to whip it out and have a look around. Recently I have purchased myself a SkyWatcher 200 P reflector with a HEQ5 SynScan mount which together is extremely heavy in a bid to start learning some astrophotography as in East Anglia light pollution isn't too common. My garden does have 'some' solid ground but this is not in an ideal location and so I will most definitely have to use my gardens boggy grass. I am worried due to the weight and the boggy grass, my scope will slowly sink down whilst taking shots. Do any of you guys have any proven solutions or mods that you have come up with in a similar situation to eradicate your set up sinking on loose ground? Just curious if this has been dealt with before in a smart manor. Cheers!

Hello, after deciding on getting a dobsonian either a 150p or 200p I was wondering if anyone leaves their dobsonian outside?. Obviously I won’t be leaving it uncovered, I was hoping if there are any special all weather covers? So I can just leave it all assembled.I do have some room left in my garage but might be a tight fit . I was also thinking of getting a bag like this ( something a bit bigger) http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/textiles-rugs/outdoor-textiles/tosterö-storage-bag-for-cushions-black-art-20292328/?cid=gb|ps|pla||||. I’d wrap it up in dust sheets or something as well. I really want to get one of those dobs but I’m struggling on where I can store it. And please would someone confirm the weights for me Ive seen the 150p dob is about 7kg is and the 200p is about 9kg and the base being around 10kg for both is this correct?